Alienation, autonomy, and ideology
Welcome to our fifth reading list of 2026, where we’re well into spring, the semester has ended, and we’re all ready to get down to business and read!
This month’s list is a mix of politics and everyday life. It’s also a mix of good and bad reads. Hope you enjoy!
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After last week’s post on the changes in Iowa City, I wanted to compare Iowa City to another college town. And since I used to live in Bloomington, Indiana, that’s my choice!
When I moved to Iowa City (from Bloomington) in August 2007, I saw Iowa City as a bit of a step down. Bloomington felt like a slightly larger city with a slightly larger university in a slightly larger state. I thought I would spend a few years in Iowa City before moving on to a larger city.
On top of this, I saw Bloomington through rose-colored lenses. Hailing from the middle of nowhere in rural southern Indiana, Bloomington stood out to me as an oasis in a barren wasteland. Surely Iowa City couldn’t match any of that.
But 20 years later, I’ve reconsidered my views on all of this. Maybe Bloomington isn’t quite the place I saw as an 18 year old. And perhaps Iowa City can more than hold its own.
As I’ve mentioned, I’m making a return to the classroom this semester to teach a section of Intro to Philosophy at the University of Iowa.
Well, the semester’s coming to a close, and it’s final exam week! Along with everyone else associated with campus, this means I’m staying busy! When I’m not writing an exam, I’m proctoring one or grading one.
And so, I’ll be back next week at the usual time and place.
I moved to the purple state of Iowa in 2007. It had a Democratic governor and an ideologically diverse state legislature and political discourse. And it soon became the launching pad for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, our first black president.
Iowa was never perfect. My politics always sat well to the left of anyone who held office in 2007. But having moved here from Indiana, I found it a breath of fresh air. Compared to Indiana’s four decade long decline into hard conservatism, Iowa practically felt like California.
It doesn’t feel like California now. Looking back two decades later, I have to ask: what happened?
My partner and I closed on our house in January 2021. Now that the date sits more than 5 years in the rear-view mirror, I think back on how it happened. And my answers aren’t very comforting for those looking to buy a house now.
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